Skip to content or view screen version

Buying a Major-Label Artist's Album or Concert Ticket Supports the War Machine

GRINGO STARS | 23.11.2002 06:45

Below is one of countless examples of how people support constant war through participation in an amoral economic system in their everyday lives. I admit: music is my main weakness, but I had to stop and re-evaluate my life-style choices in order to make a decision to not support the war machine. Loss of profit is one of the precious few attacks they actually suffer from. Besides, most every major-label release is produced to be as bland and boringly inoffensive (hence mass-marketably profitable) as possible.

Buying a Major-Label Artist's Album or Concert Ticket Supports the War Machine
Buying a Major-Label Artist's Album or Concert Ticket Supports the War Machine


The following is the text of the back cover for the new Godspeed You Black Emperor! album, and it illustrates how buying a major label album (or concert ticket) supports the war industry:


AOL Time-Warner is one of the remaining major label record companies and owns Atlantic, Elektra/Sire, Asylum, Reprise, Warner, American, Maverick, and others. It also owns AOL, which is involved in a co-venture with Hughes Electronics Corp called DirecTV. Hughes is owned 100% by General Motors. Hughes merged with Raytheon to form Hughes subsidiary Raytheon Industries. Raytheon Industries makes missiles and bombs.

Sony Corporaton is another of the major label companies. Sony is involved in a co-venture with the US Army and University of Southern California to develop advanced training simulations for use by the Army. Sony's face in this venture is known as Future Combat Sytems.

BMG owns Arista, RCA, BMG and other record labels. The Power Corporation of Canada is a significant shareholder in BMG, and in turn has holdings in Pargesa Group and Groupe Bruxelles Lambert. These holding companies own a stake in Totalfina, which owns an interest in the venture between Hutchinson Worldwide and Barry Controls. This venture produces sundry parts used in fighter aircraft and other miltary vehicles.

Vivendi Universal is the fourth and final major label company, counting MCA, Polygram, Motown, Geffen-DGC, Interscope, and Universal among its holdings. It has an arm called Vivendi Environnement, which owns a stake in Fomento De Construcciones Y Contratas, which in turn has a stake in Espelsa. Espelsa works on mission planning systems for the P-3 Orion aircraft (Lockheed Martin), as well as systems for the Typhoon Fighter (or Eurofighter), made by British Aerospace. Espelsa also works with the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, which produces military aircarafts and bombs, as well as with Alenia who, together with Boeing, makes bombs.

GRINGO STARS
- e-mail: gringo_stars@attbi.com

Comments

Display the following comment

  1. BOYCOTT Merde TV — Merde